American tech giant Apple recorded its highest-ever value share of 28 per cent in the Indian smartphone market, as well as leading the smartphone market by 23 per cent in 2025, Counterpoint Research’s Monthly India Smartphone Tracker said on Monday.
The festival-led promotions and deeper channel expansion supported revenue growth and Apple’s iPhone 16 ranked as the top-shipped model in India in 2025. This also marked the highest-ever annual shipment share for an iPhone in India, the Counterpoint report mentioned adding that over one in every five smartphones sold in India is now premium.
Samsung ranked second (22 per cent), backed by a focused portfolio across the mass market via its A, M and F series, alongside steady premium traction led by the S series, the report said adding that driven by a surge in demand for premium devices, the Galaxy S series accounted for its highest-ever share in Samsung’s portfolio.
Overall, India’s smartphone market followed a mixed trajectory in 2025, with the year starting on a softer note due to elevated inventory and fewer launches, followed by a recovery in momentum from the second quarter (Q2), driven by fresh launches, aggressive promotions and festival-led channel stocking, which pushed Q3 to a record quarterly value.
Shipments slowed again in Q4 as brands prioritised inventory correction after the festive season and managed rising component costs. Overall, the market grew a modest one per cent year-on-year (YoY) in volume but a stronger 8 per cent YoY in value, underscoring sustained premiumisation.
“The premium segment (above Rs.30,000) emerged as the fastest-growing in 2025 in volume terms, expanding 11 per cent YoY and accounting for 22 per cent of overall shipments, the highest share ever recorded, driving the market’s highest-ever annual value growth of 8 per cent YoY,” Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint Research said.
Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with a stronger premium mix proved more resilient, supported by higher margins, selective pricing actions, and sustained demand for flagship and near-flagship devices, he said.
“These dynamics point to a more polarised market structure in early 2026, with premiumisation continuing to support value growth while entry-tier volumes remain under pressure,” Pathak said.
Looking ahead to 2026, India’s smartphone market is projected to see a single-digit volume decline as rising memory and component costs weigh on demand, especially in the sub-Rs.15,000 segment.
Meanwhile, price hikes and a sharper premium focus from leading OEMs are expected to lift average selling prices (ASPs) by 5-7 per cent year-on-year (YoY), further tilting the market toward premium devices, it added.
Published on February 2, 2026